The young guy at the oil change shop said with surprise, “How’d you go four thousand miles in less than a month?”
“We drove across the country,” I said.
He looked interested. “How long did it take?”
“Seven days to get across,” I said. “You should do it. It’s an amazing drive.”
He asked me whether I wanted synthetic or conventional oil, and then asked me a few more questions. He wanted to know if we had to bring our passports, and I said no, all you need is your driver’s license. He was fascinated, but seemed a little overwhelmed at the idea of driving all the way across the country. I told him, “You’d love it. Do it before you get old.” He laughed.
Then he and the rest of the crew got to work. Ten minutes later, he came over and handed me the keys. “Remember,” I said, “seven days across and seven days back. That’s your two week vacation. You gotta do it some day.”
He smiled as he turned away. Maybe I’d gotten him thinking about it.